Ruman Ganguly (BOMBAY TIMES; October 4, 2024)

As Kolkata wakes up in the wee hours of dawn to the enchanting baritone of Birendra Krishna Bhadra, people know that the festive season has begun. Tina Datta who rose to fame with Uttaran, listens to Mahishasurmardini not just on Mahalaya but on other days also. She misses Kolkata’s Pujo and talks to CT about her childhood memories of Durga Puja, Pujo shopping, Mumbai’s Pujo and more.

Tina’s childhood Pujo memories
As a child, Tina used to spend Durga Puja with her grandparents, memories of which she really cherishes. “Visiting pandals near my house was a must along with my grandparents. They would make me sit right next to them and teach me the Puja rituals. I just loved to hear the stories from the Puranas they used to narrate. They also gave me 50 rupees as pocket money for five days with which I could buy anything I wanted. So, I used to have ice cream and cold drinks without anyone scolding me (laughs)!”

"Seeing the whole city decked up before Pujo gives goosebumps as it looks beautiful with pandals and decorative lights"

Tina’s Durga Puja plans this year
As Tina stays in Mumbai, she doesn’t always have specific plans for Pujo. However, she misses coming to Kolkata for anjali. She says, “I have no such plans this year, other than visitng pandals in Mumbai and going for events. There was a time when I made it a point to fly down to Kolkata on Ashtami for the anjali but now it’s not possible these days because of the festive rush.”

‘As a child, I used to look forward to Pujo shopping and buying makeup’
Durga Puja shopping is one of the things that one looks forward to in the entire year. Tina says, “Durga Puja was the time to receive unlimited gifts from parents and relatives. Wearing new shoes and trying them before puja was mandatory. My father specially used to give me Rs 500 to buy makeup because I loved doing makeup since childhood. At that time, at Rs 500 we used to get so many beauty products! Now we buy things throughout the year, but back in those days, waiting for the whole year to buy during pujo was indeed something to look forward to.”

‘Mumbai’s Pujo can never match up to Kolkata’s spirit’
Talking about how much Tina misses Durga Puja in Kolkata, she says, “I miss the art that Kolkata creates during this time of the year. I don’t think one can witness such creativity, and ideation anywhere else in India – it is unparalleled. I also miss the food which is an integral part of Pujo, including chops & cutlets. Mumbai cannot match up to it.”
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"It’s not that I have to listen to Mahishasurmardini only on Mahalaya’s morning, I listen to it often on YouTube as it calms me"
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"Durga is a woman with unbeatable power and like every time, this time too I wish she blesses us with an immense amount of strength"
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"The months leading up to the festival are marked by the sculpting of clay images of Durga and her family at Kumartuli, and it is such a wonderful place to visit"